Who’s excited for another awesome Obama jobs tour?

posted at 3:21 pm on May 6, 2013 by Erika Johnsen

Just what we’ve all been waiting for! At last, yet another pivot to “jobs,” because every other time President Obama has gone out campaigning — oops, I meant, jobs-touring — he’s been so effective at producing wonderful, real-world economic results, and definitely not merely creating an opportunity to air his many grievances about those obstructionist Congressional Republicans spitefully thwarting his agenda. Sign me up!

President Obama will travel this week to Austin, where the jobs market has been booming, to kick off a new focus on the middle class and economic growth.

Obama is planning a campaign-style “Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour” across the country, beginning Thursday in Austin, a magnet for new tech jobs. The push seems designed to help jump-start the president’s second term. …

Now, White House officials hope that Obama, by campaigning outside of Washington, can galvanize the public and pressure Congress to back his legislative agenda, including economic measures he outlined in February’s State of the Union address. …

The president will travel to other cities in coming weeks, though the White House has not named them yet.

If, during what will undoubtedly be this miraculously effective endeavor at moving-and-shaking the economy out of near-stagnation mode, we happen to hear any actual new ideas instead of more and varied suggestions about the ways in which the federal government needs to “invest,” i.e. spend more money, in order to kickstart jobs growth, I think I might faint. As it is:

“The President’s trip will be similar to previous ‘White House to Main Street’ events that directly engage the American people and effectively pushed Congress to act,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. “Things are getting better, but our economic recovery is not as strong as it could be and far too many middle class families are still struggling. The question is, will Congress will join with the President to make sure the middle class is strong and secure.” …

The White House said that the president planned “a series of these [day trips]… every several weeks or so,” with the goal of “trying to assemble this common-sense caucus” to pass some of the president’s priorities.

Yes, this time, I’m sure that touring around and complaining about the difficulties of managing an unruly and divided Congress will manage to move the needle and assauge some of those lame-duck whispers.